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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29254929">set fire to the rain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunannex/pseuds/Lunannex'>Lunannex</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Allison Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Angst, BAMF Allison Hargreeves, Canon-Typical Violence, Febuwhump, Gen, Hurt Allison Hargreeves, Hurt Number Five | The Boy, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Post-Season/Series 02, Protective Allison Hargreeves, Protective Number Five | The Boy, Whump, no beta we die like ben</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:09:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,950</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29254929</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunannex/pseuds/Lunannex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"I can blink us out." Five says quietly, his gaze flickering between her and the metal bars, as if preparing himself for something to pounce out of the shadows. "I probably got enough juice for it."</p>
<p>Allison's reply is as quick as lightning. "No," She says. "Five, just look at you, you're in no condition to-"</p>
<p>"Allison," Five cuts in, staring at her dead in the eye with an intensity that makes shivers go down her spine. "Do you trust me?"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Number Five | The Boy &amp; Allison Hargreeves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>103</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>set fire to the rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Oh geez, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've posted a fic, it doesn't even feel like that long lmaooo. Anyway! Hi!! This is just your classic kidnapping fic because I've never written one before and I thought it'd be neat lol</p>
<p>It was written for the Febuwhump 2021 Day 8 prompt: "Hey, hey, this is no time to sleep" (yes I know I'm a day late aksksk, shut up)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing Allison registers when she wakes up is that the room is freezing and her head is killing her. The pain is pushing persistently against her skull and makes her groan, the sound echoing through the walls.</p>
<p>The echo makes her eyes snap open, and when she begins to take in her surroundings, she discovers that she's currently in a windowless room, with concrete walls and metal cell bars.</p>
<p><em> Shit </em>, she thinks.</p>
<p>She moves to pull at her arms and ankles –which are tied together by a thick rope– experimentally, but stops short when she realizes that she can barely move them an inch.</p>
<p>Great. Just...great.</p>
<p>She dips her head back into her chest and sighs.</p>
<p>This is certainly <em>not</em> how she'd been planning on spending her week of vacation in New York.</p>
<p>Logically, Allison knows all too well that life as a Hargreeves means that she'd never quite have it easy, their track proves that. But after saving the world twice from two almost-apocalypses-to-be, and after experiencing everything that that had entailed, she didn't think she'd have to worry about something as– well, low-stakes-ish as a kidnapping.</p>
<p>It's only when she looks down that she notices a second body lying across from her. A body that, to her dismay, belongs to her brother. Her more-or-less thirteen year old brother who's bruises she can see even now despite the darkness that's washed over the room entirely.</p>
<p>Right, Five had been with her when those men that presumably took them cornered them outside the coffee shop.</p>
<p>Allison clears her throat and runs her tongue over her dry lips. "Five?" She croaks out, worry pinging at her mind.</p>
<p>No response. </p>
<p>"Five!" She says again, ignoring the twinge of pain that spikes through her head.</p>
<p>Five’s face scrunches at the loud noise and he groans in protest, but otherwise makes no other move.</p>
<p>Allison slides down a little against the wall, just enough that she's able to slightly nudge him with her foot. "Wake up!" She hisses, getting another groan in reply. "Five, hey, wake up!"</p>
<p>Glassy, unfocused blue eyes blink open, to her relief.</p>
<p>"Allison?" Five says, voice barely above a whisper. </p>
<p>Allison nods. "Yeah, it's me. Are you-" She stops once she sees his eyes slowly beginning to close again. She tilts her head and tries to find an angle where the shadows aren't covering Five’s face in order to get a better look at it. "Hey, you with me?" She asks.</p>
<p>Five grunts in affirmation and wiggles a little bit until he's rolling onto his side towards Allison. He clenches his jaw and presses his forehead against the cold floor beneath them, a sheen of sweat on his face. "Fuck." He hisses.</p>
<p>Allison frowns. "Take it easy. You're...looking a little banged up there."</p>
<p>Five scoffs. "Yeah, no shit." He says just as his eyes close and his body goes slack again. Allison's just about to call out his name again out of fear that he'd passed out again, when he speaks up in a slurred voice. "Just...give me a minute." </p>
<p>Silence stretches between them, and all that can be heard is a rhythmic <em>drip, drip, drip</em> of what she assumes could be a broken pipe, and Five's quiet rustling.</p>
<p>Allison watches with cautious eyes as his brows knit together in sharp concentration. He strains against the bonds, the muscles in his thin arms bulge, and he grits his teeth with force, but just a few seconds later, he successfully manages to free his hands.</p>
<p>Now that he's completely facing Allison's direction and she's getting a better look at his face, she notices that his pupils are blown wide. </p>
<p>Shit, a concussion. That would explain the slight clumsiness in his movements, then.</p>
<p>Five must notice her eyes roaming over him, and possibly the concern radiating off of her as well, because, without looking away from the bonds against his ankles, he asks, "You okay?"</p>
<p>"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, mostly. I mean, my head hurts like a <em>bitch</em>, but-" She stops and parts her lips in disbelief once she sees that Five's already managed to slip his hands <em>and</em> his ankles free from the restraints. "How did you..."</p>
<p>Five shrugs nonchalantly. "I guess the old man's training was good for something." He says after dropping the rope onto the floor and rolling his shoulder back with a wince. His voice is tight with something Allison can't quite place. Resentment, maybe? Bitterness? Regardless of what it is, it makes her stomach twist into knots.</p>
<p>Five pushes himself up by his forearms and starts to make his way to her. He runs his tongue over his cracked lip and gestures vaguely towards her arms. Allison nods and maneuvers herself until she's facing the wall. She feels him clumsily grab her hands a little more roughly than necessary as he immediately gets to work. Although, if the blown pupils and clumsiness weren't enough, the way he falters for a few seconds, that and the way his breath seems to sound a little too heavy for her linking, confirms her suspicion that he might have a concussion.</p>
<p>"Have you heard anything?" Five asks conversationally, effectively breaking her from her thoughts.</p>
<p>Allison shakes her head. "No, I just- I only woke up a few minutes before you did." Then she asks, "Do you think it's the Commission?"</p>
<p>"No. Their kidnapping methods are usually more...grotesque than this. Definitely not as sloppy, either." The last part comes out as a hissed mutter, and right as he says it, Allison can feel the bonds around her wrists loosening and dropping to the floor. </p>
<p>After rolling her wrists and flexing her fingers in order to get some circulation back into her hands, she leans over to begin to untie the rope around her ankles with Five's help. The whole process has been much quicker than Allison had anticipated, but she can't say she's complaining.</p>
<p>She doesn't know who their captors are, where they are, and most importantly <em>why</em> they had been taken in the first place, but what she does know is that they didn't seem to be well prepared, if these restraints were anything to go by.</p>
<p>As soon as the bonds around her ankles drop to the floor as well, her shoulders sag and she moves to stretch her joints. "Alright, there you go." Five pats her on the back and wobbles to his feet like a drunk fawn.</p>
<p>Allison follows suit and slowly pulls herself up, her body aching as she does so. She brings her hands up to her chest to gently rub at her wrists, wincing when she touches a particularly sore burn. "Thanks." She tells him, fixing him with a grateful smile, one that Five returns with a single nod.</p>
<p>"I can blink us out." He says quietly, his gaze flickering between her and the metal bars, as if preparing himself for something to pounce out of the shadows. "I probably got enough juice for it."</p>
<p>Allison's reply is as quick as lightning. "No," She says. "Five, just look at yourself, you're in no condition to-"</p>
<p>"Allison," Five cuts in, staring at her dead in the eye with an intensity that makes shivers go down her spine. "Do you trust me?"</p>
<p>"Yes, but, Five, you aren't-" She doesn't get a chance to finish before, without preamble, Five is grabbing her arm and tearing at the fabric of space. She feels herself being pulled through it in one swift burst of blue light.</p>
<p>Five’s jumps are a strange sensation, one that she'll never really get used to. They're certainly quick, and it's not exactly the feeling of being sucked into a hole of nothingness that terrifies Allison, though that does play a factor in it, but rather, it's the way they make you feel like your atoms are being separated and then being pulled back together all in a matter of a few seconds.</p>
<p>Needless to say, Allison isn't a fan.</p>
<p>They emerge on the other side of the cell, and Allison immediately curls her hand around one of the bars. She brings a hand up to rub at her temple in order to try to manage the throbbing, crippling pain in her head. Fuck, she was <em>dizzy</em>. </p>
<p>"I think I'm gonna be sick. Jesus, would it have killed you to give me a little warning?" She pauses and looks down once she hears something –or rather, someone– thump against the floor.</p>
<p>Sure enough, Five's unconscious body lies at her feet.</p>
<p>Allison's breath hitches and she drops down next to him in a frenzy. She lifts her hands to hold Five's slack face and pats his cheeks. "Hey, hey, this is no time to sleep." She stresses desperately, unease sitting heavy in the pit of her stomach when Five remains eerily still. </p>
<p>She presses two fingers against his neck to check his heart rate. She's pleased to find that it's steady, though perhaps a little bit faster. "You <em>idiot</em>, I told you that you shouldn't have done that." She chastises nonetheless and gingerly brushes his bangs out of his eyes.</p>
<p>As if in retaliation, Five’s eyes slowly crack open. </p>
<p>"Come on, yeah, that's it." Once his eyes focus on hers, she lets her hand travel down until it's gently caressing Five's swollen, bruised arm.</p>
<p>He carefully sits back up, and Allison settles a hand on his back to support him. "Can you walk?" She asks.</p>
<p>Five blinks up at her hazily a few times before replying, "Think so."</p>
<p>Allison purses her lips and, although she's not totally convinced, nods. "Alright, come on then, up you go." She's about to take a hold of his hands to make the job easier, but he bats her hands away gently and slowly rises to his feet shakily.</p>
<p>No more than five seconds later, he's stumbling sideways.</p>
<p>She lurches forward, heart in her throat, and hauls him up by his armpits after briefly crumbling a bit beneath his unexpected weight. "Woah, hey- I've got you, buddy."</p>
<p>Five's mouth opens and closes multiple times as he keeps his gaze fixated somewhere behind her, but one of his hands has unconsciously taken a hold of her sleeve to keep his balance. "Sorry I couldn't take us farther." He slurs finally.</p>
<p>Allison shakes her head. "It's fine. Seriously, don't worry about it, we'll–" She hears Five's breath hitch as he weakly takes a hold of her other sleeve, but before she can ask him what's wrong, there's a hand in her hair pulling her backwards. </p>
<p>Terror floods her veins, her stomach plummeting as she twists and turns in an attempt to release herself from the person's iron grip. She reaches out blindly for Five’s hand, only to be left grasping at air.</p>
<p>"Allison!" Five calls out, voice cracking just before he dissolves into a coughing fit.</p>
<p>She tries to push back against whoever's restraining her with more force than before, but then goes still when she feels the barrel of a gun dig into her ribs.</p>
<p>"Now just where do you two think you're going?" The man who grabbed her whispers gruffly in her ear. Allison can't help but squirm as his hot breath tickles against her neck.</p>
<p>"Shit, how did they get out?" A new voice says.</p>
<p>"Hell if I know." The dark-haired guy beside him replies.</p>
<p>Another man, this time a blond one with a lean build, comes into view and scoffs. "That's one of the Umbrella kids, you imbeciles. The one that can fucking <em>teleport</em>."</p>
<p>"What?" The dark-haired guy glances at him in confusion, though his gaze mostly remains on Five, who's looking paler and more murderous and by the second. "No way. Isn't he supposed to be in his thirties?"</p>
<p>The man that's taken a hold of her grunts. She sees him craning his head and tipping it towards Five's direction from the corner of her eye. "Just grab him." He snarls impatiently.</p>
<p>Allison quickly shakes her head, hands tightening around the man’s wrist where he has his arm wrapped around her neck. "Leave him alone." She growls. "What do you even want with us? What do you want with <em>him</em>? He's just a <em>kid</em>, you sick bastards–" She's forced to stop when the pressure against her neck increases. It's not painfully tight, but it's strong enough to make her choke on her breath.</p>
<p>"You're in no position to ask questions, Miss Hargreeves." A pause. "What I <em>will</em> tell you, is that we're getting the biggest pay day of our lives, now that we have both you and your brother in our custody."</p>
<p>"Like hell you are." Five says dryly, though she manages to catch the underlying fury hidden beneath his calm facade.</p>
<p>Allison bites the inside of her cheek almost hard enough to bleed when the man's nails begin to dig into the skin on her neck, likely as a warning. She locks her jaw and shuts her eyes tight and wills the growing panic that's overtaking every part of her being to subside.</p>
<p>But, to no avail, distant memories of the air of a bow slicing against her throat begin to flood her mind. The unexpected blow that rendered her, quite literally, speechless. She's reminded of soul-crushing shouts. The feeling of her throat being slit open like one would tear open wrapping paper. The thick layer of blood coating every single inch of her fingers until all she could see was red, red, <em> red </em> . Crying herself sick at the feeling of helplessness that came from realizing that she'd had the one thing she'd relied on the most taken from her in just a second all because she had failed. She had failed her sister oh-so <em> badly </em>.</p>
<p>Allison wonders how she can be standing on solid ground and still feel like she's falling through a never-ending abyss.</p>
<p>"Allison-" She hears Five say from somewhere, only to be cut off when the butt of one of the guys' guns whips across his face. It cracks against his jaw and forces his head to one side. Allison jerks in shock at the sound and locks her gaze on Five, suddenly fully alert as her heart continues to thunder violently in her chest. She sees Five's lips form into a snarl as he pants, scrunching his eyes shut with a wince.</p>
<p>She instinctively tries to pull away only to be yanked backwards again like a rag doll. </p>
<p>The second man to Five's left, one that Allison hadn't seen until now, grabs his face and force his chin up, squeezing hard enough to squash his cheeks. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay quiet." He says in a taunting tone.</p>
<p>Five merely headbutts the guy in response and jerks his head free. He offers him a terse smirk, jaw set and eyes ablaze with a certain fury that's as clear and piercing as a blade.</p>
<p>"Let her go, assholes." He croaks out through gritted and bloody teeth, his voice taking on a low and threatening tone as his chest heaves dangerously. It's only when his hands begin to dimly crackle a familiar blue that causes the men restraining him to tense up and reach for their guns that Allison speaks up. </p>
<p>"No, no, hey– Five, <em> stop </em>." She rushes out, voice cracking multiple times and faltering near the end. Five's head snaps up to her gaze and he opens his mouth as if he's about to retort, but he doesn't get the chance to say anything before the dark-haired guy pulls a pistol from his waistband and levels it at his forehead. </p>
<p>Five barely looks phased by it, seeing as he only glares up at the guy and gives him a challenging smirk as a response. But Allison, on the other hand, can feel the heated buzzing building up along her veins as reflexive tears continue to roll down her cheeks.</p>
<p>"You better listen to your sister, kid." The blond guy, who has one of the most punchable faces she's ever seen, says.</p>
<p>Five glances back at her for a second. He gives her a pointed look and nudges his head a bit. A silent demand:<em> If you're gonna do something, do it quick. </em></p>
<p>"I got this," She mouths to him, trying to muster as much reassurance as she can in one single look. She holds his gaze until Five subtly nods his approval, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of thing.</p>
<p>Allison's vision is already going dark around the edges, and she's finding it difficult to focus on anything other than the arm around her neck and the cold hard metal of the gun digging into her skin, but she closes her eyes and weighs her options nonetheless.</p>
<p>A simple sentence. That's all it would take.</p>
<p>
  <em> I heard a rumor that you all shot each other.  </em>
</p>
<p>She'd be lying if she said that a part of her —the more sinister part of her that, despite all her best efforts, she knows will never truly disappear— didn't want to rumor these psychos dead right then and there, but, considering Five’s current condition, they're better off not engaging in a fight at all. The idea of him potentially getting caught in the crossfire if things go sideways is enough to make her immediately abort that option.</p>
<p>And so, the words that end up coming out of her mouth in a choked yet semi-coherent tone instead are, "I heard a rumor that you fell unconscious and forgot all about us and our family."</p>
<p>The result is instantaneous. Like a puppet who'd just gotten its strings cut off, the arm around her neck goes slack, and next thing she knows, she's no longer falling. The gasp that rips through Allison's throat is painful, but she finally feels like she can <em> breathe </em>. She seizes the opportunity to turn around and knee the guy right in the groin, feeling a burst of satisfaction at hearing his sharp intake of breath before his body, along with those of the rest of the men that surround them, thumps against the floor.</p>
<p>After that, it's silence. </p>
<p>Neither of them say anything for a few seconds. Both are frozen in place, bracing themselves for something that never comes. </p>
<p>Allison gingerly places her fingers over her neck, shuddering when her fingers come back bloody, with blood that is so, so <em>red</em>. She feels her body shaking with adrenaline that's coursing through her with nowhere to go.</p>
<p>Once she's mildly sure that there's not yet another sneak attack awaiting them, she rushes towards her brother.</p>
<p>Five pushes himself up into a sitting position with a grimace. "You couldn't have done that earlier?"</p>
<p>Allison ignores the comment and swoops down next to him to unthinkingly pull him into her arms, the juddering of her heartbeat reverberating in her ears. She reaches a hand up to cup the back of his head and grasps his blazer with the other.</p>
<p>She lets a long, heaving breath escape her as she places her chin on top of his head. "Are- are you okay?" She asks, and if Five notices the waver in her voice, he doesn't mention it.</p>
<p>Instead, he grunts and all but sinks into the hug. "Depends on the definition." He says, voice muffled by her shoulder. Then, small, tentative arms are wrapping themselves around her back with an almost feather-light touch. </p>
<p>It's stiff and awkward on his part, but it still makes a rush of warmth spread through her chest nonetheless. They stay like that for a few seconds, until Five breaks the silence with a careful, "Are you?" </p>
<p>She's not, but she's also not about to tell him that so Allison just nods frantically –though Five is nothing if not observant so he likely noticed either way– and slowly breaks away from the hug. She lowers her hands until they're gingerly gripping his. Her eyes roam over Five’s face and she winces in sympathy at the growing bruise around his jaw, along with the trails of blood trickling down his nose. "We should get out of here." She says, turning her head to look at the motionless bodies around them.</p>
<p>Allison looks back at Five. "Do you need me to carry you?"</p>
<p>Five shakes his head. "No, 'is fine, I can walk."</p>
<p>"Okay, good. I don't want to spend any more time here than we already have. The sooner we get out, the better." She says.</p>
<p>She eyes the three men that lie closest to them and catches a glimpse of a certain metal-like object that's peeking out of one of their front pockets. She narrows her eyes and perks up once she realizes what it is.</p>
<p>Car keys. Perfect.</p>
<p>Allison gently settles Five back down, which earns her a questioning lift of a brow, and stands up. "Hold on," She tells him.</p>
<p>Five makes a noise in the back of his throat. "What're you doing?" He asks tiredly.</p>
<p>She raises her palm in the universal 'stop' gesture, and ignores his question in favor of leaning down over the dark-haired douchebag's body. She plucks his keys out of his pockets and rises back to her feet just as swiftly.</p>
<p>Before turning around, she presses her heel forcefully against the guy's hand. Only then is when she looks back at Five and jiggles the car keys in his direction with a smirk.</p>
<p>The corner of Five's lips quirk up once the realization hits him, and she sees his eyes lighting up just the slightest bit.</p>
<p>"Come on," Allison carefully helps him get his feet under him and slings his arm over her shoulders. She pretends not to notice the way Five leans into her, but she does stumble in her steps for a second. He's not heavy, not by any means, but he's also not particularly light, either.</p>
<p>"Christ, what a load of <em>assholes</em>." Allison scoffs. "Remind me to never go out alone with you again." She tells him jokingly, nudging Five with her shoulder.</p>
<p>"Says the one who initiated that little- outing of ours in the firs' place."</p>
<p>Allison huffs in amusement. "Says the one who <em> agreed </em> to it." She replies. "Besides, it's not like I was expecting us to get <em> kidnapped </em> of all things."</p>
<p>"And by amateurs, no less." Five mutters under his breath, making Allison snicker.</p>
<p>They carefully begin to venture along the hallway for a few minutes, with Five bracing a hand against the wall while Allison pulls most of his weight.</p>
<p>Eventually, Five hums to get her attention and juts his chin towards a metal door to their right. Allison releases a short, breathy laughter and pushes it open with a grunt the second it's within arms reach. She hisses against the sudden onslaught of light that greets them and shields her eyes from the harsh afternoon sun. Five groans weakly and follows suit, a pained hiss escaping him involuntarily. </p>
<p>Allison rubs his back in reassurance as she allows herself to study the environment before them. Judging by the street numbers, they're nearly two hours away from the mansion– which is a bit of an inconvenience, but she convinces herself that it could be worse.</p>
<p>Along with all of the other information Allison still doesn't know, she's also not sure what time it is exactly, or how long they were trapped in there for– although she assumes that it couldn't have been over a day or two. All she knows is that it's probably somewhere around five or six in the afternoon, and they should start their journey back home as soon as they can.</p>
<p>She fumbles for the keys and hits the unlock button. She can't help but flinch and place a hand over her chest at the loud sound, but with it comes a sense of giddiness as she spots the car. It's a little old and beaten-up, but it's better than nothing.</p>
<p>Five straightens a bit under her arm, and Allison already knows what's coming. "I can-"</p>
<p>"No," She interjects firmly. "I'm driving, your job is to sit there and stay put until we get you medical attention."</p>
<p>Five's eyebrows furrow in disbelief and a tiny bit of annoyance. "Allison, I'm not an invalid." He attempts –and fails– to growl, all while looking like he's on the verge of passing out.</p>
<p>Allison rolls her eyes and makes her way to the passenger seat, all the while praying that the golden rays of light will help soothe the remaining flurry of emotions in her chest. "Could've fooled me."</p>
<p>Manhandling Five into the passenger seat is– relatively easy. At least it would be if he wasn't injured. Allison's not quite sure what the extent of his injuries is yet, but she knows that it most likely runs deeper than what she can see in plain sight.</p>
<p>Once she makes sure that he's in a comfortable enough position, she rounds the car and opens the door to the driver's seat. She settles her hand on the glove department and all but drops down into the seat as she slams the door shut.</p>
<p>Now that they're no longer in any immediate danger, though that's...debatable in Five's case, Allison can feel a bone-deep exhaustion beginning to wash over her.</p>
<p>She grabs the steering wheel with both hands and leans her throbbing head on top of it with a sigh.</p>
<p>Her brain keeps replaying the last few minutes in flashes, but pain interrupts her thoughts and she finds herself with an all too familiar taste of cooper in her mouth. She can't even begin to understand what had just happened, nor why she can still feel a heavy pressure against her throat.</p>
<p>She swallows the thick layer of bile building in her throat with a grimace and tries to let her mind stay blank. She instead focuses on the warmth of the steering wheel beneath her hands, heated by the late afternoon sun. It doesn't really help. Not as much as she'd hoped, anyway. But the warmth is a nice change from the freezing cold building they had been in just a few minutes prior.</p>
<p>Allison nearly jumps out of her seat when Five clears his throat beside her, effectively drawing her attention back to him. He looks worse than he did a few seconds ago, somehow, slumped against his seat the way that he is. His face is pale and downright sickly, not to mention bruised and bloody, and his eyes are bright with poorly contained worry. The sight makes her stomach drop a little, and Allison makes a mental note to keep an eye on him on their way back to the mansion.</p>
<p>"You good?" Five asks.</p>
<p>Her exhale trembles as she quickly straightens back up and replies, "Yeah. Yeah, totally. All good. That was just- it was- a little intense." </p>
<p>Five furrows his brows as a frown tugs on his lips. "You can take a minute to- recollect or whatever before we head out."</p>
<p>Allison immediately shakes her head. "No, I'm okay. At least, I will be. Besides, you need medical attention. Like, as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more-"</p>
<p>"Allison," Five interrupts, tone firm. "Calm down, alright? I'll-" He swallows slowly. "I'll be fine."</p>
<p>"Well excuse me for not believing that Mr. I-hid-a-shrapnel-wound-until-I-collapsed-in-a-serial-killer's-<em>attic</em>."</p>
<p>Five keeps his gaze fixed straight ahead, looking as exhausted as she feels. "Look, I know I don't exactly have the best...track-record when it comes to injuries," Allison huffs. <em> Yeah, you can say that again. </em> "but, as I've already told you, I'll be <em> fine </em>." He says, sounding strangely lucid for someone who's concussed.</p>
<p>Pushing out a deliberately measured breath, Allison runs her hand down her face in a habitual movement and makes a vague gesture in the air with the other. "Okay. Okay, fine. I trust you." She says. Then, she purses her lips and leans back against her seat. </p>
<p>"Hey, you know I love you, right?" She tells him gently, twisting in her seat a bit to face Five directly. "I know I don't tell you that very often but-" She closes her eyes for a second and sighs. "I should." She gives him a tight-lipped smile as a tiny pang of guilt hits her.</p>
<p>Five stays quiet for a moment, and he keeps eerily still, to the point where Allison starts to shift in her seat. A beat later, he shrugs. "It's not like I say it much either." He runs his tongue over his split lip and looks down at his lap, looking uncharacteristically meek. And if she didn't know any better, she'd even say that he sounds a little choked up. "I love you too. I- hope you know that." He says, sincerity seeping through his tone as he turns his face back to her, a desperate look on his young face.</p>
<p>Allison does know that. She does. For all of Five's hard edges and pragmatic nature, Allison can't really bring herself to doubt his love for her, or for any of the rest of their siblings for that matter. He wouldn't have come back if he didn't.</p>
<p>Allison tries to bite back the massive grin that's threatening to spread across her face as her heart somersaults in her chest, but she still feels herself giving Five a relatively large grin as a response. He returns the smile, albeit it's much smaller than what she knows hers must look like, but it's still a smile nonetheless. The type of smile that causes his eyes to crinkle around the edges and that she so rarely ever sees from him anymore.</p>
<p>She reaches out and places her hand on top of his, squeezing it gently. She turns the key, puts the car in drive, and then looks back at Five. </p>
<p>"Let's go home."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was fun to write! It's the first fic I've posted for this fandom so I really hope you enjoyed it! I'm hoping to write more Allison and Five fics since they're SUCH a painfully underrated duo, and also more Allison-centric fics in general because, as an Allison stan, seeing so little fics of her out there makes me sad.</p>
<p>Anyway, thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated!❤ You can find me on:<br/>Tumblr: Lunannex<br/>Instagram: Lunannex<br/>(I mostly post art on both)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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